Identifiers and triggers for capillary devices

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatuses for capillary network device registration implemented in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) are disclosed. Registration or bootstrap messages may be received by a capillary network device where the WTRU acts as a gateway for communication between the capillary device and a network such as a 3GPP network. A capillary network device identifier (CNDID) is sent to the capillary device. A packet data protocol (PDP) context or PDN connection may be established with the network and the CNDID may be sent to a machine type communications (MTC) server. The WTRU may create the registration message, establish a connection with the network, and forward the registration message to the MTC server. Methods and apparatuses implemented in a network are also disclosed for identifying, addressing, and triggering the capillary devices from the MTC server. The trigger message may include fields for group communication, reducing signaling, and enabling charging.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/594,596 filed Feb. 3, 2012, the content of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

It may be desirable to allow devices to have a communications link, suchas the ability to connect to the Internet or to gateways, using a firstprotocol-defined network, such as IEEE 802.15.4, IEEE 802.11, orBluetooth. The gateway may use a second protocol, such as a thirdgeneration partnership project (3GPP) protocol, to connect to theInternet. These devices may not be registered with or known to the 3GPPnetwork, and they may not have 3GPP compliant radios. These devices maybe referred to as capillary network devices and may connect to the 3GPPnetwork via gateways.

Machine to machine (M2M) devices as well as ordinary wirelesscommunication devices may have limited functionality. This limitedfunctionality may include certain types of wireless radios, such asshort range wireless technologies like 802.11 and Bluetooth. Thesedevices may lack cellular communication technology, such as 3GPP radiosor other similar cellular wireless communication technology. These typesof devices, when co-located, may form a capillary network, and maycommunicate with each other using the available short range wirelesstechnology. One or more devices in the capillary network may be 3GPPcompliant devices.

As such, it is desirable to have a method and apparatus to identify,address, and trigger devices that are connected behind 3GPP compliantgateways. Further, it is desirable to have a method and apparatus for agateway or a machine type communication (MTC) server to create MTCgroups and assign group IDs to devices that are connected behind 3GPPcompliant gateways.

SUMMARY

Methods and apparatuses for capillary network device registrationimplemented in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) are disclosed.Registration or bootstrap messages may be received from a capillarynetwork device where the WTRU acts as a gateway for communicationbetween the capillary network device and a network such as a 3GPPnetwork. Furthermore, one or more fields of a capillary network deviceidentifier (CNDID) are sent to the capillary network device or group ofcapillary network devices. A packet data protocol (PDP) context, orPacket Data Network (PDN) connection, may also be established with thenetwork and a registration message for the capillary network device maybe sent to a machine type communications (MTC) server, where the WTRUforwards the registration message to the MTC server on a condition thatthe WTRU receives the registration message from the capillary networkdevice. The registration message may include the CNDID of the capillarynetwork device. In one embodiment, the WTRU may create the registrationmessage on behalf of the capillary network device, establish a PDPcontext or PDN connection with the network, and forward the registrationmessage to the MTC server.

Methods and apparatuses implemented in a network are also disclosed foridentifying, addressing, and triggering the capillary network devices.The CNDID may be recognizable to the core network (CN) but would notneed to be registered with the CN. The MTC server may trigger thecapillary network devices connected to the CN behind gateways, which isfacilitated by use of the CNDID. The MTC server trigger message mayinclude various fields that may be used to facilitate groupcommunication, reduce signaling, and enable charging of capillarynetwork devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description,given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. 1A is a system diagram of an example communications system in whichone or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented;

FIG. 1B is a system diagram of an example wireless transmit/receive unit(WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated inFIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a system diagram of an example radio access network and anexample core network that may be used within the communications systemillustrated in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 is a system architecture diagram with a machine-typecommunication (MTC) gateway device communicating with an MTC server;

FIG. 3 is an example of formats for external device identifiers;

FIG. 4 is an example of an architecture for machine type communications(MTC) that is modified for capillary networks according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 5 is an example of formats for capillary network device identifiers(CNDID);

FIG. 6 is an example of a CNDID assignment and capillary network deviceregistration;

FIG. 7 is an example of CNDID registration with a core network entity;

FIG. 8 is an example of a flow diagram of an MTC server triggering acapillary network device.

FIG. 9 is an example of the possible fields for a triggering message;

FIG. 10 is an example of capillary network group assignments; and

FIG. 11 is an example of group capillary network device identifiers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1A is a diagram of an example communications system 100 in whichone or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communicationssystem 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, suchas voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wirelessusers. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless usersto access such content through the sharing of system resources,including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code divisionmultiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequencydivision multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrierFDMA (SC-FDMA), and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wirelesstransmit/receive units (WTRUs) 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d, a radioaccess network (RAN) 104, a core network 106, a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112,though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplateany number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and/or network elements.Each of the WTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d may be any type of deviceconfigured to operate and/or communicate in a wireless environment. Byway of example, the WTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d may be configuredto transmit and/or receive wireless signals and may include userequipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, apager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), asmartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor,consumer electronics, and the like.

The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114 a anda base station 114 b. Each of the base stations 114 a, 114 b may be anytype of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one ofthe WTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d to facilitate access to one or morecommunication networks, such as the core network 106, the Internet 110,and/or the networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114 a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a HomeNode B, a Home eNode B, a site controller, an access point (AP), awireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114 a, 114 b areeach depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the basestations 114 a, 114 b may include any number of interconnected basestations and/or network elements.

The base station 114 a may be part of the RAN 104, which may alsoinclude other base stations and/or network elements (not shown), such asa base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relaynodes, etc. The base station 114 a and/or the base station 114 b may beconfigured to transmit and/or receive wireless signals within aparticular geographic region, which may be referred to as a cell (notshown). The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example,the cell associated with the base station 114 a may be divided intothree sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114 a mayinclude three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. Inanother embodiment, the base station 114 a may employ multiple-inputmultiple output (MIMO) technology and, therefore, may utilize multipletransceivers for each sector of the cell.

The base stations 114 a, 114 b may communicate with one or more of theWTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d over an air interface 116, which may beany suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF),microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). Theair interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio accesstechnology (RAT).

More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may bea multiple access system and may employ one or more channel accessschemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. Forexample, the base station 114 a in the RAN 104 and the WTRUs 102 a, 102b, 102 c may implement a radio technology such as Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), whichmay establish the air interface 116 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMAmay include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access(HSPA) and/or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed DownlinkPacket Access (HSDPA) and/or High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

In another embodiment, the base station 114 a and the WTRUs 102 a, 102b, 102 c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTSTerrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and/or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A).

In other embodiments, the base station 114 a and the WTRUs 102 a, 102 b,102 c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.16 (i.e.,Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000,CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), InterimStandard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System forMobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution(EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

The base station 114 b in FIG. 1A may be a wireless router, Home Node B,Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitableRAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such asa place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, and the like. In oneembodiment, the base station 114 b and the WTRUs 102 c, 102 d mayimplement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN). In another embodiment, the base station 114 band the WTRUs 102 c, 102 d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yetanother embodiment, the base station 114 b and the WTRUs 102 c, 102 dmay utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE,LTE-A, etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1A,the base station 114 b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110.Thus, the base station 114 b may not be required to access the Internet110 via the core network 106.

The RAN 104 may be in communication with the core network 106, which maybe any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications,and/or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more ofthe WTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d. For example, the core network 106may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-basedservices, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution,etc., and/or perform high-level security functions, such as userauthentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciatedthat the RAN 104 and/or the core network 106 may be in direct orindirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as theRAN 104 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connectedto the RAN 104, which may be utilizing an E-UTRA radio technology, thecore network 106 may also be in communication with another RAN (notshown) employing a GSM radio technology.

The core network 106 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102 a,102 b, 102 c, 102 d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and/orother networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephonenetworks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks anddevices that use common communication protocols, such as thetransmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) andthe internet protocol (IP) in the TCP/IP internet protocol suite. Thenetworks 112 may include wired or wireless communications networks ownedand/or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks112 may include another core network connected to one or more RANs,which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT.

Some or all of the WTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d in thecommunications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities, i.e., theWTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, 102 d may include multiple transceivers forcommunicating with different wireless networks over different wirelesslinks. For example, the WTRU 102 c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured tocommunicate with the base station 114 a, which may employ acellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114 b, whichmay employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

FIG. 1B is a system diagram of an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1B,the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, atransmit/receive element 122, a speaker/microphone 124, a keypad 126, adisplay/touchpad 128, non-removable memory 106, removable memory 132, apower source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, andother peripherals 138. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 mayinclude any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remainingconsistent with an embodiment.

The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purposeprocessor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), aplurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in associationwith a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application SpecificIntegrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGAs)circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine,and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, dataprocessing, power control, input/output processing, and/or any otherfunctionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wirelessenvironment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120,which may be coupled to the transmit/receive element 122. While FIG. 1Bdepicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separatecomponents, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and thetransceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package orchip.

The transmit/receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signalsto, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, thetransmit/receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmitand/or receive RF signals. In another embodiment, the transmit/receiveelement 122 may be an emitter/detector configured to transmit and/orreceive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet anotherembodiment, the transmit/receive element 122 may be configured totransmit and receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciatedthat the transmit/receive element 122 may be configured to transmitand/or receive any combination of wireless signals.

In addition, although the transmit/receive element 122 is depicted inFIG. 1B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number oftransmit/receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 mayemploy MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 mayinclude two or more transmit/receive elements 122 (e.g., multipleantennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the airinterface 116.

The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that areto be transmitted by the transmit/receive element 122 and to demodulatethe signals that are received by the transmit/receive element 122. Asnoted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, thetransceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as UTRA and IEEE 802.11, forexample.

The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receiveuser input data from, the speaker/microphone 124, the keypad 126, and/orthe display/touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) displayunit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor118 may also output user data to the speaker/microphone 124, the keypad126, and/or the display/touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 mayaccess information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory,such as the non-removable memory 106 and/or the removable memory 132.The non-removable memory 106 may include random-access memory (RAM),read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storagedevice. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identitymodule (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card,and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may accessinformation from, and store data in, memory that is not physicallylocated on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (notshown).

The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and maybe configured to distribute and/or control the power to the othercomponents in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitabledevice for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 mayinclude one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd),nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion),etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which maybe configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude andlatitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In additionto, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from abase station (e.g., base stations 114 a, 114 b) and/or determine itslocation based on the timing of the signals being received from two ormore nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 mayacquire location information by way of any suitablelocation-determination method while remaining consistent with anembodiment.

The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, whichmay include one or more software and/or hardware modules that provideadditional features, functionality and/or wired or wirelessconnectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include anaccelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera(for photographs or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, avibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, aBluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digitalmusic player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internetbrowser, and the like.

FIG. 1C is a system diagram of the RAN 104 and the core network 106according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ anE-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communicationwith the core network 106.

The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 140 a, 140 b, 140 c, though it will beappreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs whileremaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 140 a, 140 b, 140c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with theWTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment,the eNode-Bs 140 a, 140 b, 140 c may implement MIMO technology. Thus,the eNode-B 140 a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmitwireless signals to, and receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102 a.

Each of the eNode-Bs 140 a, 140 b, 140 c may be associated with aparticular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radioresource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of usersin the uplink and/or downlink, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1C, theeNode-Bs 140 a, 140 b, 140 c may communicate with one another over an X2interface.

The core network 106 shown in FIG. 1C may include a mobility managementgateway (MME) 142, a serving gateway 144, and a packet data network(PDN) gateway 146. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted aspart of the core network 106, it will be appreciated that any one ofthese elements may be owned and/or operated by an entity other than thecore network operator.

The MME 142 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 142 a, 142 b, 142 cin the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. Forexample, the MME 142 may be responsible for authenticating users of theWTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, bearer activation/deactivation, selecting aparticular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102 a,102 b, 102 c, and the like. The MME 142 may also provide a control planefunction for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown)that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM or WCDMA.

The serving gateway 144 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 140 a,140 b, 140 c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The serving gateway144 may generally route and forward user data packets to/from the WTRUs102 a, 102 b, 102 c. The serving gateway 144 may also perform otherfunctions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers,triggering paging when downlink data is available for the WTRUs 102 a,102 b, 102 c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102 a, 102 b,102 c, and the like.

The serving gateway 144 may also be connected to the PDN gateway 146,which may provide the WTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c with access topacket-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitatecommunications between the WTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c and IP-enableddevices.

The core network 106 may facilitate communications with other networks.For example, the core network 106 may provide the WTRUs 102 a, 102 b,102 c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, tofacilitate communications between the WTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c andtraditional land-line communications devices. For example, the corenetwork 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g.,an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interfacebetween the core network 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the corenetwork 106 may provide the WTRUs 102 a, 102 b, 102 c with access to thenetworks 112, which may include other wired or wireless networks thatare owned and/or operated by other service providers.

FIG. 2 shows a deployment model with a machine type communication (MTC)gateway 201 device communicating with a plurality of MTC servers 202 a,202 b, 202 c, or 202 d. Devices 203 a, 203 b, 203 c, and 204 may connectto the operator domain via a network such as a third generationpartnership project (3GPP) network via the gateway 201.

Devices 203 a, 203 b, 203 c, and 204 connecting to the Internet via 3GPPcompliant gateway 201 are referred to as capillary network devices in anMTC capillary network 205. Capillary network devices 203 a, 203 b, and203 c typically do not have 3GPP compatible radios, and may below-resource capillary network devices that infrequently transmit andreceive small amounts of data, such as a thermostat or environmentalsensor. These low-resource devices may also be referred to as D′ (ord-prime) devices. Capillary network device 204 may be a higher-endcapillary network device that transmits and receives data at higher datarates, such as a camera that streams video. However, no distinctionneeds to be made between the two general categories of capillary networkdevices 203 a, 203 b, 203 c, and 204 described herein. Furthermore,connection by capillary network devices 203 a, 203 b, 203 c, and 204 toa 3GPP network is described herein, but the methods and apparatusesdisclosed are not limited to 3GPP networks and may apply to other typesof networks as well.

While capillary network devices 203 a, 203 b, 203 c, and 204 may not beregistered or known to the 3GPP core network (CN) or have 3GPP radios,an MTC server 202 a, 202 b, or 202 c may need to identify, address, andtrigger these capillary network devices 203 a, 203 b, 203 c, and 204that are connected behind 3GPP compliant gateway 201.

In a 3GPP network, a gateway 201 may be identified by its internationalmobile subscriber identity (IMSI) and addressed with an Internetprotocol (IP) address. Due to security concerns, mobile networkoperators (MNO) may not want to communicate the IMSI and internal IPaddress to an MTC server. Thus, an external identifier may be defined.

FIG. 3 shows examples 310, 311 a, 311 b, 311 c, and 311 d of the formatsthat may be used for external identifiers 300. The external deviceidentifier 300 may be a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) and may becalled an international service provider subscription identifier (ISSI)310 as formatted in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 shows an example architecture for MTC 400 network in a 3GPPnetwork that is modified for connecting capillary network devices 410 aand 410 b in accordance with one embodiment. The MTCsms 482, MTCsp 483,and MTCi 481 that are shown in FIG. 4 are reference points and may beused to meet M2M architecture requirements. The capillary networkdevices 410 a and 410 b, may connect to an MTC server 470 via a gatewayWTRU 420 via a protocol. The gateway WTRU 420 acts as a gateway to theInternet/MTC 400 network for the capillary devices 410 a and 410 b. Inthe example of FIG. 4, capillary network device 410 a connects to thegateway 420 via IEEE 802.15.4 while capillary network device 410 bconnects to the gateway via IEEE 802.11.

The capillary network devices 410 a and 410 b may be in an address spacethat is private from the 3GPP network. In the example of FIG. 4, thecapillary network is a private IP version 6 (IPv6) network, the 3GPPnetwork is IPv4, and the MTC server 470 is accessible via the publicinternet, (e.g., IPv4). The architecture of FIG. 4 is non-limiting,however, and other combinations of IPv4 and IPv6 may be contemplated.

The gateway WTRU 420 is connected to the CN 415 via a RAN 421. The MTCServer (also referred to as Services Capability Server (SCS)) 470 mayneed to address and/or trigger the non-3GPP capillary network devices410 a and 410 b that may be using the 3GPP compliant gateway WTRU 420.

In a 3GPP network, a WTRU 420 may be identified by its IMSI andaddressed with an IP address. A machine type communications-interworkingfunction (MTC-IWF) 460 may map the external identifier to the IMSI, andmay store this mapping in a local memory. The external identifier may beused on the MTCsp 483 and MTCsms 482 reference points to identify theWTRU 420. When the WTRU 420 is addressed on the MTCi 480, or Gi/SGi 481reference points, IP addressing may be used. A network addresstranslation (NAT) function may be used to translate between private IPaddresses in the 3GPP network and the public IP address that is used bythe MTC server 470 to address capillary network devices 410 a and 410 bvia the WTRU 420.

When capillary network devices 410 a and 410 b connect to a 3GPP network400 via a gateway WTRU 420, the capillary network devices 410 a and 410b may be assigned capillary network device identifiers (CNDID). TheCNDID may then be used by an MTC Server (also referred to as ServicesCapability Server (SCS)) 470 to address and send triggers towards thecapillary network devices 410 a and 410 b without requiring the MTCserver 470 to distinguish between 3GPP devices such as the gateway WTRU420 and non-3GPP devices such as the capillary network devices 410 a and410 b and also without requiring additional application level signalingat the MTC application 490.

For example if capillary network devices 410 a and 410 b are IEEE802.15.4 compliant devices that connect to the Internet via a 3GPPgateway WTRU 420, the capillary network devices 410 a and 410 b may beassigned a CNDID by the WTRU 420. Thus, the need for a large number ofcapillary network devices 410 a and 410 b to be registered in a centralCN 415 entity may be avoided.

Although the capillary network devices 410 a and 410 b and gateway WTRU420 may not always be connected to the 3GPP CN, or may not always havean IP address assigned, it may be necessary for the MTC server 470and/or MTC application 490 to be able to individually address thecapillary network devices 410 a and 410 b behind the gateway 420. Thus,it may be necessary for the MTC server 470 and/or MTC application 490 tobe able to send a trigger indication towards the gateway 420 and thecapillary network device or devices 410 a and 410 b that the MTC server470 wants to trigger.

The MTC server 470 may use the MTCsp 483 or MTCsms 482 reference pointsto request a trigger towards a capillary network device 410 a and 410 bvia the SMS-SC 418 or MTC-IWF 460. The trigger procedure may beinitiated via the SMS-SC 418. Examples of trigger delivery mechanismsmay be via short message service (SMS) or non-access stratum (NAS)messaging. The MTC server 470 may identify the capillary network device410 a and 410 b by its external identifier on the MTCsp 483 and MTCsms482 reference points. The MTC-IWF 460 may use its interface to a homesubscriber server (HSS) 450 or a home location register (HLR) 450 totranslate the external identifier to an IMSI and initiate the triggerprocedure. When capillary network devices 410 a and 410 b are addressedon the MTCi 480, or Gi/SGi 481 reference points, IP addressing may beused.

When a capillary network device 410 a and 410 b receives the triggermessage, it may establish an IP connection with the MTC server 470. Theserving GPRS support node (SGSN)/mobility management entity (MME) 430and gateway GPRS support node (GGSN)/Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW)440 may be used by the WTRU 420 to establish a packet data protocol(PDP) context or PDN connection for the capillary network device 410 aand 410 b.

FIG. 5 is an example of CNDID 500 formats, which may be formed by addinga new field to the external identifier of the gateway WTRU. The examplesin FIG. 5 may be formed by adding a prefix field 510 a, 510 b, or 510 cto the gateway external identifier 511 a, 511 b, or 511 c, respectively.The gateway external identifier 511 a, 511 b, or 511 c may include thelocal identifier 512 a, 512 b, 512 c and the MNO identifier 513 a, 513b, 513 c. The new field 510 a, 510 b, 510 c need not be a prefix: it maybe any new field 510 a, 510 b, or 510 c that may be added to the gatewayID 511 a, 511 b, 511 c to form a new CNDID 500.

For example, the <Capillary-Device-Identifier> 510 a of the identifiermay be assigned by the WTRU and/or negotiated between the WTRU and thecapillary network devices. The <Capillary-Device-Identifier> 510 a ofthe CNDID 500 may include, but is not limited to, a medium accesscontrol (MAC) address, a hardware serial number, a simple sequentialnumber, or a descriptive name, such as backyard_motion_sensor.

Although the CNDID may not need to register with the CN, CN entities mayrecognize the CNDID 500. For example, the presence of the<Capillary-Device-Identifier> 510 a in the identifier may indicate tothe CN that the CNDID 500 belongs to a particular capillary networkdevice. The suffix of the CNDID 511 a may identify the gateway WTRUthrough which the capillary network device is communicating.

FIG. 6 shows a CNDID assignment and capillary network deviceregistration 600 signal flow diagram. During the device bootstrapprocedure 611 a, a CNDID 611 b may be assigned. A capillary networkdevice 601 may connect for example, to a M2M gateway such as a WTRU 602,where the WTRU 602 establishes an IP connection to the MTC server 607,and the capillary network device 601 registers 621 f with the MTC server607. The capillary network device 601 may also be assigned an IP addressand/or other identifiers for the local capillary network.

During the CNDID assignment and capillary network device registration600 method, a capillary network device 601 bootstraps and registers 611a with the gateway WTRU 602. The gateway WTRU 602 may then provide aCNDID 611 b to the capillary network device 601. In one embodiment, itmay not be necessary for the capillary network device 610 to receive anentire CNDID 611 b. For example the prefix field may be sufficient. Insome embodiments, 611 a and 611 b may not be necessary; the capillarynetwork device 601 may derive its own CNDID.

The capillary network device 601 may then register with the MTC server607. The associated call flow 600 may apply where an IP connection isnot currently established with the CN. The capillary network device 601initiates a registration message 621 a. Alternatively, the gateway WTRU602 may initiate the registration message 621 a on behalf of thecapillary network device 601.

The gateway WTRU 602 then may establish a packet data protocol (PDP)context 621 b, 621 c, 621 d, and 621 e via the MME/SGSN 603 and GGSN/PGW604 and then is assigned an IP address. The gateway WTRU 602 may use thenewly assigned IP address to forward the registration message 621 f tothe MTC server 607, and the registration message 621 f may include theCNDID 611 b. The MTC server 607 may use the CNDID format to recognizethat the device 601 is a capillary network device communicating behindthe gateway WTRU 602. The message 621 f may include, but is not limitedto, other information such as information about the device'scapabilities, intended functionality, location, operation time (dutycycle), and manufacturer. If the capillary network device 601 is 3GPPcapable, then this may be indicated in the registration message 621 f byincluding an external identifier in the registration message 621 f. Theexternal identifier is what may be used if it was connecting directly tothe 3GPP network.

The MTC Server 607 may respond 630 to the capillary network device 601that it has received the registration request 621 f. If the gateway WTRU602 initiated the registration message 621 f, then the response 630shown in FIG. 6 may terminate at the gateway WTRU 602.

It is permissible for devices 601 to have multiple external identifiers.For example, the capillary network device 601 may be a 3GPP device andbefore connecting to the gateway WTRU 602, the 3GPP capillary networkdevice 601 may already have an external identifier that may be used whenconnecting directly to the 3GPP network. However, it may be assignedanother identifier when connected to the gateway WTRU 602.

Each time a gateway WTRU 602 assigns a new CNDID 611 b, the gateway WTRU602 may register the CNDID with a CN entity such as a HSS/HLR 605,MTC-IWF 606 or a domain name system (DNS) server. Registration ofcapillary network devices with a CN entity may require a relativelylarge amount of information to be stored. However, operators may usethis information for charging and facilitating value-added services.

FIG. 7 shows CNDID registration 700 with a CN entity 703. Referring toFIG. 7 a capillary network device 701 may bootstrap and register 711with a gateway WTRU 702. The capillary network device 701 may havealready been assigned an IP address and/or other identifiers for thelocal capillary network. The capillary network device 701 may then beinformed of its CNDID 712 by the gateway WTRU 702. It may not benecessary for the capillary network device to be told its entire CNDID712, because for example the prefix field may be sufficient.

The capillary network device 701 may then register the CNDID 713 a withthe CN entity 703. Alternatively, the gateway WTRU 702 may register theCNDID 713 b with the CN entity 703. For example, the CN entity 703 shownin FIG. 7 may be a DNS server, an MTC-IWF, or an HLR.

The message for registering the CNDID 713 a or 713 b may includeinformation such as CNDID to the gateway external identifier.

Additionally, the message for registering the CNDID 713 a or 713 b mayinclude the IP address of the gateway WTRU 702, IP address of thecapillary network device 701, port number where the capillary networkdevice 701 can be reached, capillary network device 701 capabilities, orthe capillary network device's 701 previous CNDID 712 or CNDIDs ifapplicable. For example, the capillary network device 701 may havepreviously connected via another gateway WTRU 702, thus, it may havepreviously been assigned a different CNDID 712.

The message for registering the CNDID 713 a or 713 b may also include a3GPP network external ID such as the gateway WTRU external identifier.When 3GPP capable capillary network devices 701 connect, the capillarynetwork device 701 may indicate this capability by including itsexternal identifier in the message for registering the CNDID 713 a or713 b. This external identifier may be used if the capillary networkdevice 701 was connecting directly to the 3GPP network.

In another embodiment, the CN may pre-assign the gateway WTRU 702 a poolof CNDIDs 712 that the gateway WTRU 702 is permitted to assign 712 tocapillary network devices 701 that connect behind it. The pool of CNDIDs712 may be assigned as part of the subscription of the gateway WTRU 702,or the gateway WTRU 702 may download the pool of CNDIDs 712 dynamically.

Referring to FIG. 8, an MTC Server 807 may send a trigger 812 towards anMTC device or MTC devices in the capillary network 800. An MTC Server807 may wish to initiate communication with a capillary network device801. The gateway WTRU 802 and/or capillary network device 801 may not beonline or available for communication, or the gateway WTRU 802 and/orcapillary network device 801 may not have an IP address currentlyassigned to it. In such scenarios, the MTC server 807 may send a trigger812 to the gateway WTRU 802 and/or capillary network device 801. Oncethe trigger 812 is received by the gateway WTRU 802 and/or capillarynetwork device 801, it is the responsibility of the gateway WTRU 802and/or capillary network device 801 to establish a PDP context 814 a,814 b, 814 c, and 814 d and take necessary steps to establish an IPconnection to the MTC server 807.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram 800 of an MTC server 807 triggering a capillarynetwork device 801. The MTC server 807 sends a trigger request 811 tothe MTC-IWF 806. The trigger request message 811 includes the CNDID 500as shown in FIG. 5 of the capillary network device 801.

The MTC-IWF 806 may then initiate the process of sending the triggermessage 812 to the gateway WTRU 802. The trigger 812 delivery may be viashort message service (SMS), or non-access stratum (NAS) messaging.Other message types may also be used. The trigger message 812 mayinclude the CNDID. Alternatively, only the prefix field of the capillarynetwork device 801 may be sent. The gateway WTRU 802 may then send amessage 813 to the capillary network device 801.

The gateway WTRU 802 may also choose to postpone sending a message 813to the capillary network device 801 until it is closer to the time whenthe capillary network 801 device actually needs to send information. Forexample, it may wait until after the PDP context 814 a, 814 b, 814 c,and 814 d is established.

The gateway WTRU 802 may also choose to serve as a proxy for thecapillary network device 801 and may remove the need to send a message813 to the capillary network device 801. For example if the MTC Server807 attempts to read the capillary network device 801, the gateway WTRU802 may respond with cached data. If the MTC Server 807 attempts towrite data, the gateway WTRU 802 may buffer the data and forward it tothe capillary network device 801 at another time. For example, when thecapillary network device 801 may have certain pre-scheduled “wake-up”times.

When the gateway WTRU 802 does have an IP connection to the MTC server807 but the capillary network device 801 does not, the MTC server 807may use application level signaling to inform the gateway WTRU 802 thatit needs to establish an IP connection to a particular capillary networkdevice 801. However, this approach may allow the MTC server 807 to avoidsending triggers 812 to capillary network devices 801. This may beundesirable if the MNO is charging the MTC server 807 on a per-trigger812 basis.

FIG. 9 shows the trigger request and trigger message fields 900, whichprovide a means for the CN to recognize that capillary network devicesand their applications are connected. The gateway external identifier911 is recognized by the CN. The CN may resolve this field to an IMSIand send the trigger toward the gateway WTRU.

The CNDID(s) 912 is forwarded to the gateway WTRU as part of the triggercontents. This CNDID(s) 912 may be used by the gateway WTRU to determinecapillary network devices that need to be triggered. The CNDID 912 maynot need to be registered with any CN entity. However, by indicating theCNDID 912 in the trigger request, the CN will be informed that acapillary network device is connected behind the gateway WTRU, and thisinformation may be used for fee charging.

The G-CNDID(s) 913 may be forwarded to the gateway WTRU as part of thetrigger contents. This G-CNDID(s) 913 may be used by the gateway todetermine the groups of capillary network devices or applications thatneed to be triggered. The G-CNDID 913 may not need to be registered withany core network entity. However, by indicating the G-CNDID 913 in thetrigger request, the core network may be informed that a group isconnected behind the gateway WTRU, and this information may be used forfee charging.

The Application ID(s) 914 may be indicated in the trigger. ThisApplication ID(s) 914 may be forwarded to the gateway WTRU as part ofthe trigger contents and may be used by the gateway to determine whichparticular applications in the capillary network devices need to betriggered. The Application ID 914 may not need to be registered with anyCN entity. However, by indicating the Application ID 914 in the triggerrequest, the CN will be informed that a capillary network device isconnected behind the gateway WTRU, and this information may be used forfee charging.

The MTC Server Contact Address(es) 915 is the transport address (publicIP address and port number) that each application may contact. Thisfield may be used when devices are allowed to connect to multiple MTCservers.

The Quality-of-service (QoS) Indication(s) 916 may be indicated for eachtrigger recipient. When a trigger is received by the gateway WTRU, itmay need to initiate a PDP context in order to establish an IPconnection to the gateway. The trigger message may provide someindication as to the type of QoS 916 that may be required once the IPconnection is established. By including this information in the trigger,the likelihood that the QoS 916 may need to be changed after the PDPcontext is established is decreased, and thereby reducing signaling.

The Expiration Time(s) 917 may be indicated by the MTC Server for eachcapillary network device application that is triggered. For example, thegateway WTRU and or CN may ignore and drop the trigger if it is notdelivered by the expiration time 917, and as a result Expiration Time(s)917 may help to avoid an overload condition.

The Trigger Time 918 may be indicated by the MTC server to indicate atime when the IP connection may be established for each triggerrecipient. For example, the trigger may be delivered at Trigger Time918, and Trigger Time 918 may indicate to the gateway WTRU thatcommunication with a particular capillary network application needs tobe established at Trigger Time 918 the next day.

Small Data 919 may be included in the trigger request and message if theMTC wants to trigger the capillary network device so that it sends asmall amount of data to the capillary network device.

Configuration Information 920 may be included in the trigger request ifthe MTC server wants to trigger the capillary network device so that italters the capillary network device's configuration.

Some of the fields 900 as shown in FIG. 9 may be used to facilitate moreefficient group communication. Note that a single trigger may be used toinitiate communication with multiple capillary network devices behindthe same gateway WTRU. The contents 900 of the trigger message mayindicate to the gateway WTRU which capillary network applications and/ordevices are to be triggered. If the gateway WTRU maintains a mappingbetween application IDs 914 and capillary network identifiers 912, thenthe trigger message may only need to include the application identifiers914.

Some of the fields 900 as shown in FIG. 9 may be used to reducesignaling in the 3GPP network. Since one trigger message may be used formultiple recipients, the number of triggers that need to be sent overthe network is decreased. Fields 900 such as Trigger Time 918 allow theMTC server to use a trigger to schedule its communication over the nextseveral minutes, hours, or even several days. By allowing the MTC Serverto indicate the required QoS 916 in the trigger message, the PDP contextmay be initially established with the correct QoS 916. This may reducethe likelihood that the PDP context may need to be modified once it isestablished. By triggering multiple capillary network devices at thesame time, the gateway WTRU may better decide how many PDP contexts itneeds to establish and how the capillary network applications can sharethe PDP contexts.

Some of the fields 900 as shown in FIG. 9 may be used to facilitatecharging of capillary network devices. Capillary network device IDs 912and application IDs 914 do not necessarily need to be registered withthe core network. However, the core network may charge MTC serviceproviders based on the number of triggers that are sent, the number ofcapillary network devices that are triggered, and/or the number ofcapillary network applications that are triggered. All of thisinformation may be obtained from the trigger messages on the MTCsp orMTCsms.

A similar approach for assigning a single CNDID may be used to assign anID to groups of applications or devices. FIG. 10 shows the assignment ofgroup identifiers 1000. A gateway WTRU 1004 may choose to group devices1001 a and 1002 a or applications 1003 a based on functionality,location, or some other attribute or set of attributes and assign agroup capillary network device identifier (G-CNDID) 1011, 1012, or 1013.

Once a group 1001 a, 1002 a, or 1003 a is formed, a gateway WTRU 1004may notify an MTC server 1009 of the group 1001 a, 1002 a, or 1003 a,the group members 1001 b, 1002 b, or 1003 b, and attributes of thegroups 1001 a, 1002 a, or 1003 a. Similarly, the MTC Server 1009 maychoose to create a group 1001 a, 1002 a, or 1003 a and notify thegateway WTRU 1004 of the new group 1001 a, 1002 a, or 1003 a, the groupmembers 1001 b, 1002 b, or 1003 b, and attributes of the groups 1001 a,1002 a, or 1003 a. Regardless of entity that forms the group, the namingconvention may be the same.

FIG. 10 also shows capillary network group assignments, where themapping between the G-CNDID 1011, 1012, or 1013 and the group members1001 b, 1002 b, or 1003 b may be stored in the gateway WTRU 1004 and/orthe MTC server 1009. The G-CNDID 1011, 1012, or 1013 may be used totrigger or address the groups. Table 1 shows the mapping between theG-CNDID 1011, 1012, or 1013 and the group members 1001 b, 1002 b, or1003 b from FIG. 10 that may be stored in the gateway WTRU 1004 and/orthe MTC server 1009:

TABLE 1 Capillary network group assignments Group Name Group Type GroupMembers Group1 (1011) Device (1001a) Device1, Device2, and Device3(1001b) Group2 (1012) Application (1002a) AppID1, AppID2, AppID3 (1002b)Group3 (1013) Application (1003a) AppID4, AppID5 (1003b)

Similar to the CNDID 1015 assigned to capillary network device 1005, theG-CNDID 1011, 1012, or 1013 may be formed by adding a new field to theexternal ID of the gateway WTRU 1004 that it uses to connect to the corenetwork 1006, which provides a connection to the MTC server 1009 via theGGSN 1008 and MTC-IWF 1007. The new field may be a group identifier, orgroup name. An example of a G-CNDID 1011, 1012, or 1013 is shown in FIG.11.

FIG. 11 provides an example G-CNDID 1101 a. It is noted that the G-CNDID1101 a is formed by adding a prefix field 1101 b to the gateway externalidentifier 1101 c. The new field 1101 b need not be a prefix, it simplyneeds to be a new field 1101 b that is added to the gateway ID 1101 c toform a new group capillary network ID 1101 a.

Further, <Group-Capillary-Device-Identifier> 1101 b names may beformatted such that they are always distinguishable from individualdevice names as shown in FIG. For example: a CNDID may be 1102 a or1103, and a G-CNDID may be 1104.

In the examples of FIG. 11, the presence of the word “group” in thefirst field may 1101 a be used to distinguish between group identifiers1101 a and individual device identifier 1102. Other words or charactersmay be used to distinguish between a group identifier and an individualdevice identifier.

An additional field may be added to the identifier 1107 to indicate whatthe identifier represents. For example: a there may be a CNDIDs 1105 and1106 and a G-CNDID 1107.

Although features and elements are described above in particularcombinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that eachfeature or element can be used alone or in any combination with theother features and elements. In addition, the methods described hereinmay be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmwareincorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computeror processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronicsignals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) andcomputer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storagemedia include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), arandom access memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductormemory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removabledisks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks,and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association withsoftware may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for usein a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for use in a wireless transmit/receiveunit (WTRU) for capillary network device registration, the methodcomprising: receiving, at the WTRU, a first registration message from acapillary network device, wherein the WTRU acts as a gateway forcommunication between the capillary network device and a network;sending, from the WTRU, to the capillary network device, one or morefields of a capillary network device identifier (CNDID); establishing aconnection with the network; and sending, from the WTRU, a secondregistration message associated with the capillary network device to amachine type communications (MTC) server, wherein the secondregistration message includes the CNDID of the capillary network device.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a third generationpartnership project (3GPP) network.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe CNDID is formed by adding a field to an external device identifierof the WTRU.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the CNDID identifies agroup of capillary network devices (G-CNDID).
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the capillary network device is associated with an internetprotocol (IP) address or other identifiers for a local capillarynetwork.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second registrationmessage indicates that the capillary network device is 3GPP capable, andincludes a 3GPP identifier associated with the capillary network device.7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at the WTRU, apool of CNDIDs for assignment to one or more capillary network devices.8. The method of claim 1, wherein the core network node is a homesubscriber server (HSS)/home location register (HLR).
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the core network node is a machine-typecommunications-interworking function (MTC-IWF).
 10. The method of claim1, wherein the core network node is a domain name system (DNS) server.11. A method for use in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) fortriggering a capillary network device associated with the WTRU, themethod comprising: receiving, at the WTRU, from a machine typecommunications-interworking function (MTC-IWF) a first trigger messageincluding a capillary network device identifier (CNDID) of a capillarynetwork device; and transmitting, from the WTRU, a second triggermessage to the capillary network device associated with the CNDID. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein the first trigger message is deliveredusing short message service (SMS), or non-access stratum (NAS)messaging.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first trigger messageincludes a quality of service (QoS) indication.
 14. A wirelesstransmit/receive unit (WTRU), comprising: a receiver configured toreceive a first registration message from a capillary network device; atransmitter configured to transmit to the capillary network device oneor more fields of a capillary network device identifier (CNDID); and asecond transmitter configured to establish a connection with a wirelesscommunication network, to send a second registration message associatedwith the capillary network device to a machine type communications (MTC)server, wherein the second registration message includes the CNDID ofthe capillary network device, whereby the WTRU acts as a gateway forcommunication between the capillary network device and the wirelesscommunication network.
 15. The WTRU of claim 14, wherein the wirelesscommunication network is a third generation partnership project (3GPP)network.
 16. The WTRU of claim 14, wherein the CNDID includes anexternal device identifier associated with the capillary network deviceand at least one additional field.
 17. The WTRU of claim 14, wherein theCNDID identifies a group of capillary network devices (G-CNDID).
 18. TheWTRU of claim 14, wherein the capillary network device is associatedwith an internet protocol (IP) address of a local capillary network. 19.A wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU), comprising: a receiverconfigured to receive from a machine type communications-interworkingfunction (MTC-IWF) a first trigger message including a capillary networkdevice identifier (CNDID) of the capillary network device; and atransmitter configured to transmit a second trigger message to acapillary network device associated with the CNDID.
 20. The WTRU ofclaim 19, wherein the trigger is delivered using short message service(SMS), or non-access stratum (NAS) messaging.
 21. The WTRU of claim 19,wherein the WTRU chooses to postpone triggering the capillary networkdevice.
 22. The WTRU of claim 19, wherein the WTRU waits to trigger thecapillary network device after a packet data protocol (PDP) context isestablished.
 23. The WTRU of claim 19, wherein the WTRU acts as a proxyfor the capillary network device.